Meet Sarah Dyer – Sisters Who Shred

One of my main objectives for setting up Snow You Didn’t was to reach out to more female snowboarders and encourage women to join the sport. I thought it would be a really cool idea to feature some sisters who are total shredders from right here in Scotland. Proving that you don’t need to be resident in the Alps or an Olympic champion to be involved in the sport.

So without further ado, I bring you a new feature: Sisters Who Shred

First up, I’d like to introduce you to Sarah Dyer, I first came across Sarah via her incredible lifestyle apparel brand Navarah Clothing. This girl has an enviable Instagram feed filled with boards, vans, adventures, unreal hair colours and an adorable frenchie. What’s not to love?! Find out what she loves about boarding…

Why did you take up snowboarding?

It was always something I wanted to try, I guess being younger made it quite an expensive hobby, plus, no-one else in the family was interested so I didn’t try it until much later on in my life! But ever since I can remember I’ve been obsessed with adventure and the outdoors, so I always wanted to try most board sports!

When did you first try snowboarding? What was your first experience like?

I was 24, so about 4 years ago now. I went along to lessons because my mate Laura wanted to give it a go. She ended up not liking it, and I kept it going! Not gonna lie, it totally did not click right away. I actually found it really hard, it’s a struggle just trying to find your balance, and basically keep going even when you have a shit time at a lesson – ha! Then when I hit my third lesson, something just clicked and I was like, ‘Ah! I get it now’. That was a great moment for me.

What is your favourite part of boarding?

Freedom. The feeling of just cruising down is unlike anything else I have ever experienced. It’s hard to explain to other people who haven’t tried it before – it’s definitely a rush but at the same time quite…calming? If that makes any sense! I guess when I’m riding I just feel at ease and at one with nature!

What do you think is the greatest challenge??

Perseverance! Oh man, haha – I find snowboarding more of a mental challenge than a physical one. For example, if I’m having an off day and my mood isn’t great, I can guarantee I’ll have a harder time on the hill – frustration can kick in easily. But as time goes on and my riding improves, having that confidence has helped me feel less like a beginner, and more of an intermediate rider (i.e. growing lady balls and trying features in the park!). That was a game changer really – and with confidence comes that feeling of ease when I ride. However, I also kinda have a fear of really hurting myself, so it’s surprising that I try anything risky at all! I guess that shows just how much I love it.

Where is your favourite place in Scotland to go for snow sports?

Last season was amazing for the Scottish mountains – pretty much a full season since late November! I had been heading up a few times a month since then, which has massively improved my riding too. I’d say I go to Glencoe the most (as it’s closest) but the Cairngorms is probably my favourite resort because they have super long runs from top to bottom.

What board do you ride / why?

I’m currently riding a past season Salomon Oh Yeah.

Up until early this year, I’d still been using my first ever board, a Nikita Expression. But it just wasn’t cutting it anymore for trying new tricks and getting a bit more flex out of my riding. The Oh Yeah was perfect for a next step up! It’s super playful so you can ride park – but still stable enough for all mountain riding too. It helped me kick off trying buttering and pressing too, which is endless fun!

What inspired you to start Navarah clothing?

Whilst working at my first real job, I realized I still had a lot to offer creatively. After Art School, I missed designing and creating, so it seemed like the perfect excuse to start my own mini fashion brand!

​Navarah started with myself and some mates customizing and selling clothing at local markets – but it’s grown into a lifestyle brand that now hosts events and teams up with local artists through design collaborations. I’m totally obsessed with snowboarding/skate brands so everything we do is inspired by ride culture. I pretty much gave myself my dream job as a side project, haha!

Running Navarah, you can find me doing pretty much everything to make things tick over. This includes website management, digital marketing, graphic design for merchandise, event planning for our exhibitions, doing photo shoots for product launches, accounting for all sales and social media. As a side project, it’s a joy to run – and allows me to still create and design whilst using all my eCommerce knowledge I’ve built up over the years (I’m an eCommerce Manager for a popular shoe retailer by day).

What else do you get up to?

I have a lot of hobbies. I’m really bad for starting to do something in my spare time, and just not really giving it up – and then starting something else. Fitness wise, I do a lot of Yoga and Pilates (which totally helps with riding by the way) but I really need to get myself on some weights to get my strength up. Stephen and I also like to get a bit of climbing in and have little adventures in our camper van. Anything outdoors or creative really and I’m happy!

I also still spend a good bit of my time writing music – I used to be in a band until I was about 23, so to keep writing and recording is important to me.

What would be your advice for anyone starting out?

I think that determination is a really important personality trait to have if you want to snowboard – I’m super determined and don’t give up on things easily. That helps me keep going when times are tough!Also remembering that even the pros still make mistakes – it’s about picking yourself back up and just enjoying the ride.

I also think that lots more women are enjoying the sport now, which is great! I hope seeing gals like Jamie Anderson & Chloe Kim out there killing it helps inspire more girls to get on a board.

What is your favourite item of clothing/kit and why?

Oh boy, where do I begin! Apart from my new board, I really love my new Volcom bib pants, which are a recent bargain – but anything Volcom or Burton is pretty much my go to. Their design and performance for gals are second to none. When the Burton sale hits, my bank account needs to adopt the brace position! It’s an expensive hobby yes, but there are ways of doing it cheaper. eBay was a life saver when I started out!

Navarah Clothing will be hosting their next event ‘Not Board’ on 5/6 October 2018 at CASS ART Glasgow.

Navarah & local cross discipline artists re-imagine their work as graphics for snowboarding – across technical gear, clothing and accessories. The show will showcase the artist’s creative process, and how they came from initial concept through to final product​ ideas​.

The exhibition celebrates the relationship between snowboarding and designer, art with performance, ride culture and creativity​ in Scotland.​